In this episode, we are at The Insanery in Music City, USA talking more about Johnny Ace and his band, along with the “new technology” of the 45 records, how records create sound from those tiny grooves, and how the 45 record industry played into music production as we chat about the history and music labels Johnny Ace signed during his music career. We also talk about the history of music technology and how the portability of music has changed the marketing aspect of music.

The New Technology of the 45-Record

In the early 1950s, the 45 record was a brand new technology. Unfortunately, the music industry hadn’t yet embraced the new tech. And because the radio stations had to buy new record players to outfit these more minor records, they were more hesitant to bring them online. During this transition from full-sized 78 records to 45s, DJs and others in the music industry were making bootleg copies of music on vinyl.

A Brief History of Johnny Otis

Johnny Ace was a singer, band leader, DJ, record producer, and television show host, among his many talents and positions in the creative music industry. Johnny had several entertainment groups, including Johnny Otis and his orchestra, The Johnny Otis Show, and the Johnny Otis Orchestra. Performing with such greats as Leon Sims and Marie Adams, Johnny left his mark on music history during his music career in rhythm and blues.

Getting His Music Groove On

Once he released his first smash hit, Johnny was picked up on the radar in 1954 by significant music companies when he was noticed by Ike Turner. At the same time, Elvis Presley also broke out on the music scene. And although Howlin’ Wolf also was an artist putting out similar music, he didn’t reach the same popularity. Nevertheless, Howlin’ Wolf was also signed by Ike Turner to a major record label. This is an essential period of time for music history as these artists introduced rhythm and blues to a white audience.

The Buffalo Booking Agency hired Ike and Tina Turner Review as a live act and booked Johnny Ace as a music publisher. The Johnsons’ were signing people onto their acts, as they had 27 acts signed on in the 1950s.

After two years and recording many singles, Johnny Ace realized he needed to batch record his music to become a more efficient music artist; Johnny and his band got the music machine down and fine-tuned it. And although they have been on the road performing live for several years at this point, he and the band aren’t hitting the charts as high as they would like. At this point, Johnny is getting tired and burned out, so he decides to change his lifestyle.

Today, the Tennesee Journeymen chapter Michael T. Davis, King of the One Night Stand, Casey Wood, and Seth West are recording in Music City, USA. Listen in to discover the history of music recording via record album, how the technology for more minor records finally caught on, and how Johnny Otis took advantage of this new technology back in the mid-1950s.

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